


In & Out

by YoureAlrightLaRusso



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: 90s AU, Alternate Universe, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Multi, Romantic Comedy, Teacher!Daniel, Toxic Masculinity, carmen and miguel are not related, reporter!Johnny, this is silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-24 05:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30067629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoureAlrightLaRusso/pseuds/YoureAlrightLaRusso
Summary: In 1997, Daniel has just about everything he could ever want. He lives in the same small town he grew up in, gets to do what he loves every day teaching English at the local high school, and is about to get married to the most beautiful woman in town.But Daniel's life is flipped upside down when one of his former students outs him as a gay man on national television. As if that wasn't bad enough, there's another problem. Daniel's not gay.At least he doesn't think so.An In & Out AU.
Relationships: Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso, Carmen Diaz/Amanda LaRusso, Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 31
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Writing an AU for a 90s movie no one cares about? It's more likely than you think. 
> 
> There's going to be some 90s-typical homophobia throughout this whole thing. Nothing too drastic or intense, but it's there!

Daniel loved being a teacher more than anything in the world. He loved the kids like they were his own; seeing the seniors leave after four years with him never got any easier, but he knew they were going on to bigger and better things than this small town. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he would be a footnote in one of their success stories, and that was good enough for him. 

This class of seniors though, they were special. They had been freshmen when Daniel had gotten engaged to Amanda, and were almost as excited about the wedding as his own mother, if that was possible. Almost every day at least one of them would say something about how lucky he was to be marrying Ms. Montgomery, and then someone else would say “It’s going to be Mrs. LaRusso soon!” They couldn’t get over it. For most of the school, if Daniel wasn’t their favorite teacher, then Amanda was. 

Today, no one was talking about Daniel’s impending nuptials. The Oscars were that weekend and one Carmen Diaz was up for Best Actress. Daniel had taught Carmen years before, and she was by far the biggest (and only) star to come out of their little town. His students were not at all interested in learning about Shakespeare’s sonnets when they could be learning about the superstar who had once sat in their seats. 

“Mr. LaRusso!” Hawk said, raising his hand but not waiting to be called on. “When Carmen Diaz went here, did you teach her?” 

“Yes, I did,” Daniel chuckled. “Does anyone have any questions about the poem?” 

Aisha raised her hand. Daniel smiled and called on her, she usually had excellent, well thought out questions. 

“So she was in this classroom? Like, for real?”

Daniel bit his lip. He was glad the kids were excited, but he really wanted to get on with the lesson, knowing no one would want to do any homework that weekend. 

“Yes she was, right where you’re all sitting.”

There was a murmur of excitement, but before Daniel could open his mouth to move on, Hawk spoke up with another question. 

“When Carmen went here, was she really hot?” 

“No, that’s all plastic surgery.” Disappointed sighs and gasps of disbelief came at him in a wave. He grinned and continued. “Yeah, you should have seen it. An absolute lizard.” 

He made a face and a disgusted gagging noise that made his students laugh, and then the bell rang and they were standing up to leave. 

“Alright, no homework this weekend!” he called after them. “But I still expect you all to go out and learn something!” 

Miguel came up to him after everyone else had left, holding an envelope. He bounced anxiously from foot to foot and held the letter out to Daniel.

“It’s from UCLA,” he said. “I can’t open it, I can’t. It’ll just say rejected and I don’t, I-”

Daniel cut him off by taking the envelope from his hand and tearing the top open. He pulled out the letter while Miguel stared, his hands clasped in anticipation. Daniel’s eyes scanned the page and he let out a whoop. 

“We got in!” He cried, holding his arms wide. 

“Wait, really?” Miguel asked in disbelief, taking the letter from Daniel and reading it for himself. “I got in? I- I got in!”

He jumped up and brought Daniel into a bear hug. Daniel laughed and hugged him back. They had worked so hard on applications and essays so that Miguel could get into his dream school and it had paid off. Daniel couldn’t wait to tell Amanda. 

He patted Miguel’s back and they separated, only to bring each other back into another hug. Daniel laughed and took a step back. 

“Alright, my little scholar, we’ll celebrate later. Go get ready for practice.” 

Miguel nodded and jogged off towards the locker rooms. Daniel took a minute to clean up the classroom and gather his things before he followed. He changed into his tracksuit and then led the team outside to start on their warmups.

\----------

The next day was Saturday, which meant it was a day filled with pre-wedding activities. First, there was the final dress fitting. Daniel had picked out Amanda’s dress months ago, but the alterations had only recently been finished, so they hadn’t seen the final product yet.

She stepped out of the changing room and onto the small platform in the middle of the room, surrounded by mirrors and admirers on all sides. 

“Oh, sweetheart, you just look beautiful!” Lucille said, petting down Amanda’s side and looking at her like she was an angel sent from heaven. Lucille loved weddings, all she ever wanted for her son and her nephew, Louie, was for them to get married to a beautiful girl and have a beautiful wedding they would never forget. Amanda was wonderful, but Daniel had a suspicion that Lucille only liked her so much because she was giving her a wedding. Daniel wasn’t going to complain; he would rather have that than have the two women at each other’s throats all the time. 

“She’s always beautiful,” Daniel said, taking Amanda’s hand and helping her down from the platform. She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. 

“Alright now, Daniel,” Lucille said as Amanda left to change into her normal clothes. “You go ahead to the park and start setting up for the party, I’ll take Amanda back to her house to get ready and then we’ll meet you there before the guests arrive.”

“Ma, I still don’t understand why we’re even having this party. The wedding is only a week away, couldn’t we just wait.” 

“Daniel, look at me.” She sounded serious, which only made Daniel roll his eyes. He did as he was told anyway. “Do you think Louie will ever get married?” 

“Ma-”

“Daniel.” She raised an eyebrow and he shut up, shaking his head no. He loved Louie, but he wasn’t really the marrying type. “This is probably the only chance I’ve got. I’m going to milk. It. Dry.” 

“Got it, Ma. You can have all the parties you want.” 

Lucille smiled and patted his cheek affectionately. 

“That’s my boy.” She smacked the back of his head. “Now get going.”

\---------

The party was fine. No, it was good. But Anoush had made a banner to hang above the wedding party’s table that said “Daniel and Amanda: At Last!!”

Daniel didn’t see what the big deal was. So they’d been engaged for three years. He’d heard of longer. Not from anyone in town, but he knew there had to have been some that were longer. But they both taught full time, not to mention he was the track coach and Amanda did extra tutoring. They just didn’t have the time to plan a wedding, so it took a bit longer to get to the big event. No big deal, at least he didn’t think so. 

Louie gave a speech that everyone pretended to laugh at, and then Daniel made one about how excited he was to finally be getting to marry Amanda. He couldn’t help but joke a little though. 

“Years ago, I told myself I wouldn’t get married until Carmen Diaz won an Oscar,” he said. “I thought I was safe!” 

The crowd laughed and he looked down to see Amanda looking back up at him with shiny, happy eyes. He’d waited three years to marry her, but now that extra week felt like too long a wait. 

“I know you’re all very excited to watch Carmen win one for our town tomorrow night, but for now, let’s party!”

\----------

Lucille had invited both of them to her Oscar party, but Daniel and Amanda had decided to watch it at Daniel’s house instead. Lucille was quite popular in the town, so there would be way more people than either of them wanted to deal with.

“Honey, it’s starting!” Daniel called into the kitchen as he settled on the couch. Amanda rushed in with a bowl of popcorn and sat down next to him. 

“Oh, I’m so excited!” she said, cuddling closer to Daniel’s side. 

“Really?” he said, not looking away from the red carpet. “I didn’t think you usually liked this kind of stuff.” 

“Well, I don’t, but how cool would it be if Carmen actually won? I taught her, you know.” Daniel looked at her quizzically. Amanda was quite a bit younger than him, not all that much older than Carmen. “Yeah, when I was student teaching. She would stay behind for extra help. We spent a whole month reading Romeo and Juliet together after school.” 

Before Daniel could say anything to that, Amanda excitedly pointed to the screen with an “Oh, oh!” 

He turned back and saw that Carmen had just arrived at the red carpet. A blond reporter was interviewing one of the other nominees, but stopped and called to Carmen, maneuvering through the crowd with practiced skill until he ended up right at her feet, the camera close behind. 

“Hey Carmen, Johnny Lawrence. This is your first Academy Awards, how are you feeling tonight?”

“I’m feeling great, this is such a fun atmosphere.” Carmen was still as beautiful as ever, and both Daniel and Amanda were grinning like idiots watching their former student on TV. 

“What do you think your chances are of winning?” the reporter asked. 

“Win, lose, none of it matters. It’s just a way to pit us against each other, when we should be coming together.” 

“Oh,” he said. “Well, then, why are you here?” 

She smiled at him and set a hand on his shoulder. 

“In case I win.”

And then she was gone. The reporter turned back to the camera. 

“Well, that was Carmen Diaz. I’m Johnny Lawrence, coming to you live from the red carpet.”

It cut to commercial and Daniel and Amanda used the time to debate their picks on who would win the other categories. It was a fun night, but everyone in town, themselves included, really only cared about who would win Best Actress. 

It finally came time, and both Daniel and Amanda were leaned as far forward as they could go in anticipation. After each nominee was said, a small clip from their movie would play, so it took a while, but eventually it was Carmen’s turn. 

“Carmen Diaz,” the presenter said. “For To Serve and Protect.”

Daniel thought Carmen did wonderfully in the clip they showed, even if the movie didn’t seem all that great. It was about a combat nurse who was outed as a lesbian and got kicked out because of it. It seemed sad, but Amanda had actually watched the film, and said it had a happy ending, so that was good at least. 

“And the Oscar goes to,” the presenter said, opening the envelope. Amanda held tightly to Daniel’s arm; they both had their fingers crossed. “Carmen Diaz for To Serve and Protect!” 

They both cheered and jumped off the couch, knowing everyone else in town was doing the same. 

Carmen walked up the steps to the podium, holding the trophy in her hand. 

“This one is for all the gay and lesbian soldiers and veterans!” The crowd cheered and she smiled before moving on. “I have so many people to thank: my parents, my friends, my director, my co-stars. But I want to highlight one person in particular. Mr. Daniel LaRusso at All Valley High School!” 

Daniel gasped and Amanda cheered, punching him playfully in the shoulder. Daniel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“Mr. LaRusso was my drama and English teacher for four years. He taught me poetry, and Shakespeare. He told me that I could follow my dreams, and he really helped me a lot.” 

Amanda hugged Daniel close to her, shaking him back and forth. He smiled at her and hugged her back. 

“And he’s gay.” 

Amanda’s arms fell from around his shoulders, her jaw dropped, Daniel’s right along with it. He… he couldn’t have heard that right. Gay? Him? 

“This one’s for you, Mr. LaRusso!” Carmen continued, as if she hadn’t just caused a complete shutdown of all Daniel’s systems. “We did it!”


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel turned the TV off in a haze. He and Amanda sat staring at the blank screen until Daniel let out a yelp, throwing the remote away like it burned him. They sat silently for a beat until the phone rang and they both jumped up to answer it. Daniel got there first. 

“Hello?” he said frantically. Then his voice softened. “No, I’m not.” 

He slammed the phone down repeatedly on the receiver. 

“Daniel?” Amanda asked, her voice watery. “Why would she say that?” 

“I have no idea!” he cried, letting his arms fall open. They stared at each other with matching wide-eyes looks. 

“So, you’re not, you know?” 

“Of course not!” he insisted, coming closer to bring Amanda into his arms. “I love you, I’m going to _marry_ you.”

“Oh thank god!” Amanda laughed, almost hysterically. 

There was a knock at the door and Daniel rushed to answer it. It was Lucille, sometimes living next door to her was a godsend. This was not one of those times. 

“Ma!” he said, trying to remain calm and failing. “What brings you by?” 

“Daniel,” she said, using the same serious tone from the day before. “Do you have something you need to tell me, son? About the wedding?” 

“No, Ma, honest.” He rubbed tiredly at his forehead. “I have no idea why Carmen would say something like that. Where she even got the idea!” 

Lucille sighed happily and put a hand over her heart. She shook her head like she was trying to get rid of the whole night. Daniel wished it worked that way. God he hoped it would. 

“Right, of course. I just went a little silly there for a second. Of course the wedding’s still on.” 

Daniel nodded, feeling a little miffed that his mom was bringing up the wedding when Daniel’s whole world had just been shaken to its core. Maybe that was a sign that other people wouldn’t care. Once they heard the wedding was still on. That’s all that mattered. Daniel wasn’t gay, even though Carmen Diaz had just told the whole world he was, and he was still getting married. 

“Well, now that that’s all settled,” Lucille continued. “Come on, Amanda. I’ll take you home.” 

Amanda looked to Daniel to make sure he’d be okay. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then she was gone. Daniel shut the door and pulled the receiver off the hook. He didn’t want to take any more calls tonight.

\----------

The next morning, Daniel did what he always did on school days. He got up, his alarm clock blaring _Macho Man_ , made himself breakfast, put on his suit, and hopped on his bike.

He peddled up towards the back entrance of the school like he always did, but as he was settling his bike on the rack, he heard a commotion coming from around the corner. Curious, he walked over, and blanched at what he saw. 

It was a sea of reporters, all clamoring around the front door. Some were talking to students, his students, others had eagle eyes on all the windows and doors. 

He turned around quickly, but the noise alerted one of the reporters who yelled for him, and then a mob was chasing him into the building. He ran to his classroom, slamming the door behind him and pressing his back up against it as the hoard tried to follow. 

Daniel pulled down the shade over the window so that they were out of sight, but startled when he turned to see most of his students already in their seats, completely quiet, staring at him. 

“Good morning, everyone! How was your weekend?” He tried to behave normally, but his voice was pitched too high and he was talking too fast. “Let’s pick up right where we left off, hmm? ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s gay’- day! Thou art more lovely and more temperate, and the rough-” 

He was cut off by a paper airplane hitting him square in the chest. He picked it up and unfolded it. ‘Best Actress: Daniel LaRusso’ it said. He sighed, crumpling up the paper and throwing it in the trash. 

“Alright, alright,” he said, sitting down on the edge of his desk. “You wanna talk about it, let’s talk about it.”

The entire class erupted, but Daniel held up a hand to settle them down. They quieted and a few raised their hands. He pointed to Tory. 

“Is it true?” she asked, hesitantly. Daniel had never seen Tory hesitant before. He shook his head. 

“Of course it isn’t!” he said. A sigh swept through the class. 

“Well then why would Carmen Diaz say that?” Miguel asked. 

“I don’t know why she said it, I’ve been trying to figure that one out myself. But that’s not why we’re here, so-”

“Mr. LaRusso! Mr. LaRusso!” Hawk was saying, swinging his arm around. Daniel nodded for him to go ahead.

“I’ve been thinking about it all night. Why would that chick say you were gay? And I got it figured out.”

“Uhm” Daniel said, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous this all was. “What have you got?” 

“Look at you!” 

Daniel looked down, putting a hand on his chest. 

“I beg your pardon?” 

“I mean, no offense. But you’re an English teacher,” Hawk said with a shrug.

“Exactly!” Tory chimed in. 

“I mean, all the poetry and odes and bonnets-”

“Sonnets.” Daniel interrupted, enunciating the T like he was getting irritated. 

“And you’re kinda prissy.” 

“Prissy?” Daniel said, putting a hand on his hip.

“Well not in a bad way! I mean like, you’re smart.” 

“And well dressed!” Miguel added.

“And really clean.” That was from Aisha. 

“It just doesn't look good.” Hawk finished. “Plus you got the drama club and you ride that bicycle. You’ve been engaged to Ms. Montgomery for like three years.” 

Daniel held up a hand, offended. 

“What does that have to do with-”

“Think about it, if you add it all up, of course she would think you’re gay. OH! OH!” 

Daniel startled a bit at Hawk’s little outburst at the end, but tried to keep it together, even though this was getting more surreal by the moment. He never thought he’d be having this conversation with anyone, let alone his students. 

“And plus,” Hawk continued. “She was in that movie! So like, her brain is already going that way and then she remembers you and she goes ‘smart, clean, totally decent human being? Gay!’”

Just then, the door to the classroom was opened and the sound of the mob of reporters still waiting outside echoed in the large room. The principal, Mr. Cole, closed the door behind him, but not before things like “gays in the space program?” “lesbians on mars?” and “do you know Ellen?” could be heard directed at Daniel. 

“Mr. LaRusso,” Mr. Cole said, straightening his suit. “Boys and girls.” 

Daniel moved closer to Mr. Cole and turned so he could whisper in his ear. 

“There are _swarms_ of reporters out there,” Mr. Cole said. 

“See, they want pictures of the gay guy!” Hawk said excitedly. Mr. Cole frowned at him and took Daniel by the arm, leading him behind the chalkboard. 

“I tried to reason with them,” Mr. Cole said. “I told them _I_ was the principal and they… they mocked me.” 

“I am so sorry, Tom. I’ll- I’ll see what I can do.” 

They stepped out from behind the chalkboard and Daniel turned to his students.

“Class, page 84.”

“Yes,” Mr. Cole said, trying to remain professional. “Yes, learn all you can.” 

“Mr. LaRusso!” Hawk called before Daniel could step out the door into the mob. 

“Yes?”

“Watch…” Hawk held out his hand, limp at the wrist. Daniel looked down to see he had been doing the same. Quickly, he clenched his hand into a fist and held it firmly down at his side. Nodding in determination, he stepped into the hall. 

\----------

Daniel sat alone at the 24 hour diner, eating a sad plate of roast beef. It had been a horrible day. He’d gone out to try to convince the reporters he wasn’t worth the story, but all he got were multiple cameras shoved in his face with bright flashing lights that made him dizzy. They were monsters, the lot of them. 

He had tried not to say much, knowing his quotes could be taken out of context, but they just took his silence for assent. Who knew how many newspapers would have stories about him by next week. It made him feel a little sick. 

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up to see someone he’d never met before, though he did look familiar. 

“Hi,” the guy said. “Can I sit down?” 

Daniel looked at him warily. 

“Why?” 

“I just want to talk to you,” he said, sliding into the seat across from Daniel, even though he hadn’t said he could. Looking at him now, he remembered exactly where he’d seen this guy before. 

“You’re that reporter from the Oscars. Johnny something.” 

“Lawrence,” he said with a smile. “You recognize me?”

“Kinda hard not to,” Daniel grumbled. “Look, I don’t want to talk to any more reporters. At this rate I might as well go on Barbara Walters.”

“Did Barbara call you?” Johnny demanded. Daniel shook his head. Johnny seemed to relax. “Listen, I’m not like those other reporters.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow at him, leaning back in the booth and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“They already got their story. This time tomorrow, they’ll all be gone,” Johnny continued. “They’re in it for the entertainment. Not me, I’m a journalist. I’m doing a full week.”

“A week?” Daniel exclaimed, standing up quickly. “No, nuh-uh, no way, absolutely not.” 

He threw down some bills on the table and all but ran out of the diner. Johnny followed close behind. 

“No, Daniel, just listen. You’d be amazed what we can do with cameras nowadays. You’ll be a star!” 

“I don’t want to be a star!” Daniel yelled back, jogging down the road. “I just want my life back!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Daniel. Always with the melodrama.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is very silly lol, but very fun to write! I hope you enjoy :)

“He’s getting married this week, he’s not gay,” Demetri said as he unbuttoned his shirt. He and the rest of the track team were scattered around the small locker room in various states of undress, getting ready for practice. 

“But man think about it,” Hawk said, sitting down on the bench while the others gathered around. “Gay guys.”

“I don’t want to think about it.” 

“There’s only two times when it’s okay to do the gay stuff,” Hawk continued seriously. “Two, like, emergency situations.”

“What?” Miguel demanded. “What situations?”

“Uh, prison when it’s like a substitute, or guys in space.”

“Guys in space?” Demetri said, leaning against the row of lockers and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Not on purpose, duh,” Hawk said, smacking Demetri on the arm. “It just happens because they’re weightless and they float into each other when they’re asleep.” 

Miguel shook his head as he pulled a t-shirt out of his locker. 

“You’re so lame.”

“Look, I know it’s wrong! It’s against nature, like basic plumbing.”

“What are you even talking about?” Miguel sighed, suddenly wondering why he was even still friends with this guy. 

“It’s the human body, it’s divided up into ‘in’ holes and ‘out’ holes. And stuff is supposed to go _in_ the ‘in’ holes and come _out_ the ‘out’ holes. But _gay_ guys, they like put stuff in the ‘out’ holes. 

“Wait,” Mitch said, confused. “So is your mouth, like, an ‘in’ hole?”

“Right!” Hawk said, looking up at Miguel. “Cause you put burgers in it and beer… unless you’re sick and you throw up and then it’s an ‘out’ hole, so it’s wrong.” 

Mitch still looked confused, but before he could say anything else Mr. LaRusso opened the door to the locker room, already in his tracksuit. 

“Guys, guys, come on,” he said, clapping his hands together. “I wanna get out there and get started.” 

The boys all immediately stood, holding their towels and shirts up to cover themselves awkwardly. Mr. LaRusso’s hand was already on the door, ready to leave them to it, but he stopped, his hand falling to his side. His track kids had never been like this around him before. 

“What’s going on?” he asked. 

“Um, Mr. LaRusso,” Hawk started. “Could you, like, wait outside while- while we get changed?”

“Why?” 

Miguel looked between his teacher and his friends. He didn’t want Mr. LaRusso to feel bad. He wasn’t even gay, so why were the others acting so weird around him, like he wasn’t the same guy they’d known for four years?

“Hawk’s being a jerk.” 

“Oh, this wouldn’t have anything to do with the Oscars and Carmen Diaz would it?” 

“N-no,” Hawk scoffed, but it wasn’t very convincing. 

“Well, what is it then?” Mr. LaRusso pressed. 

“I-I mean, before the Oscars it was… different. I mean you weren’t…” 

“I wasn’t what?” He was smiling, but Miguel could tell that it was strained. 

Hawk’s fake, placating smile was frozen on his face. 

“Famous.” Miguel rolled his eyes. Hawk was being so stupid about all of this and he was making everyone else stupid too, just by association. 

Mr. LaRusso shook his head, laughing as he shooed them off with a “You guys…” before pushing the door open and leaving the locker room. 

Miguel smacked Hawk on the arm. 

“Nice job, asshole.”

“Hey, what did I do?”

\----------

Daniel was ready for all of this to be over. His students weren’t comfortable around him, he was always on the lookout for that pretty boy reporter; some of Daniel’s friends had even told him that Johnny whatever had come knocking, wanting to interview them. They all said they hadn’t done it, but Daniel wasn’t so sure. And on top of it all, Tom Cole, that bastard, had all but said that if Daniel weren’t getting married to a woman he would have been fired. Fired! He wouldn’t be able to do the thing he loves most in the world, all because Carmen Diaz had to go and say that he was gay, which he _wasn’t_.

Luckily, tonight was his bachelor party. He was ready to get hammered out of his mind with his friends and forget about everything that wasn’t his marriage to Amanda. He hadn’t seen her in a few days, she said she was nervous and just needed some time to herself. Daniel could respect that. 

He jogged up the stairs to the attic room above the bar that people used for parties. He threw open the door to find most of his friends, plus Louie who was holding a blow up doll with a cigar in its mouth.

“Who’s ready to party!” he yelled and they joined in, patting him on the back and shaking his shoulders. He took the cigar from the doll’s mouth and gave it a big, fake kiss before handing the cigar off, he didn’t like the taste. “Are we gonna have a bachelor party!” 

“Yeah!” his friends yelled back.

“Are we gonna get down and dirty!”

“Yeah!” they yelled again. Anoush came forward and wrapped an arm around Daniel’s shoulders, pulling him in close. 

“Oh, you’re gonna love this, Daniel. We got all your favorite stuff, everything you like!” 

They pushed him forwards and down on to a stool in front of the TV, where they crowded around him.

“What are we talking here? Triple X? Little Oral Annie?” he said, waggling his eyebrows. 

“Oh we got it!” Louie said, rifling through a plastic bag filled with videos. “Uncut…”

Someone made a drumroll, slapping their hands down on their thighs, and Louie found which one he was looking for and pulled out… 

“Funny Girl!” they all yelled excitedly, slapping Daniel on the back as if this is what he wanted. To watch a Barbra Streisand movie at his bachelor party. 

“I don’t believe this,” Daniel said, snatching the video from Louie’s hands. “Funny Girl? Barbra Streisand?” 

“Yeah!” Anoush said. “You had that little film festival last year, you made us all watch all her movies. It was fun!”

The others all nodded in agreement, but Daniel just shook his head. 

“Guys, I am truly offended.” They all looked around at each other, apparently surprised by his reaction. Daniel couldn’t understand why. Sure, he loved Barbra, but it was the principle of the thing. “Don’t you see that this is precisely the reason why Carmen Diaz and half the civilized world think that I’m, you know-”

A chorus of “no’s” followed, but really Daniel was getting sick of this. He raised his voice a little to be heard above his friends’. 

“Well I don’t know how this got started, but this is _my_ goddamn bachelor party and I am not going to goddamn watch, pardon my split infinitive, Funny Girl!”

“Me neither,” Freddy said. “I hate that crap.” 

“Thank you!” 

“You got A Star is Born?”

“Oh sure!” Louie said, digging through his bag once again. 

“A Star is Born?” Daniel said, turning to Freddy, voice just this side of hysterical. 

“No, she looks bad in A Star is Born,” Anoush said, shaking his head. 

“I got it!” Louie said, pulling out another video. “Yentl.”

“Yentl!” someone yelled excitedly. They all started up again, yelling about their favorite Streisand movies and the ones she could have done better in and Daniel’s eyes rolled so far back in his head he thought they might get stuck that way. 

“Dudes, hombres, guys, guys, I’m sorry, I am truly offended. I thought I knew you guys, I thought you were studs. I guess I thought wrong. I’m out of here.” 

He started to leave, his friends all trying to convince him to stay. But then Freddy’s voice could be heard above the rest of them and Daniel stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Maybe he’s right, Yentl sucks.”

The rest of them went completely silent. Daniel turned around, hands on his hips. 

“What did you say?” he said calmly. 

“Yentl,” Freddy continued, not backing down. “It sucks, it’s boring.” 

Daniel took a step closer, challenging. He quirked an eyebrow. 

“Say that again.”

Freddy saw the challenge and his face hardened, taking a step of his own. 

“She was too old for Yentl!” he said. 

Daniel growled and lunged forward, grappling with Freddy while the others cheered them on, excited about finally getting some action at the party. Daniel got Freddy in a headlock and rubbed at the top of his head with his knuckles. The others gathered around for a sort of group hug and Daniel found himself laughing along with them. 

They did end up watching Funny Girl. So, all things considered, he’d been to worse parties.

\---------

Daniel had driven all the way to the next town over to get some advice, and all that good for nothing priest had to say was that he was gay and he was _not_ gay! Just because he and Amanda hadn’t slept together yet, that didn’t mean anything. She wanted to wait. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever actually said the words, but she hadn’t made any advances and so neither had he.

And it wasn’t his fault that when he went to her house to rectify this little problem, Richard Simmons had been on her TV talking about burning the fat away. _That_ wasn’t sexy, was it? It wasn’t his fault. 

Amanda assured him it was okay. She’d waited three years for him, she could wait another day. God, was the wedding really tomorrow? But, that was a good thing wasn’t it? Because once he got married all of this speculation would go away. Johnny Lawrence would go away. Daniel hadn’t actually talked to him since their little meeting at the diner, but he could swear he always felt him lurking. Waiting. 

Still, he found himself digging out an old gag gift Louie had gotten him years ago, before he’d met Amanda, a tape about how to be a Manly Man. He made sure he was alone, and then popped it in his radio and sat down at the kitchen table. 

The tape started and a voice told him to stand up straight and tall. He stood, one foot out, one fist on his hip. 

_Excuse me, are we a little teapot?_

He looked down at his crooked elbow and firmly dropped his fist to his side. 

_Untuck your shirt._

Daniel started to pull his flannel out of his pants, but stopped when the tape kept going. 

_Just one side._

Daniel groaned, but reluctantly did as he was told. 

_You hate this, don’t you?_

“Well, look at it!” 

_Now an exercise. You’re in a bar room. Repeat after me. Yo!_

“Yo!” Daniel said, trying to use a gruff voice. 

_Hot damn._

“Hot damn!” 

_What a fabulous window treatment._

“What a fabulous window-”

_That was a trick!_

“Gah! Dammit.” He put his hands on his hips and hung his head for a moment, trying to keep his cool. So he’d messed up. It was fine. It didn’t mean anything. 

_We have come to the most critical area of masculine behavior. Dancing._

A familiar beat started playing and Daniel could already feel himself getting into it. He bobbed his head along and swayed with his shoulders. 

_Truly manly men do not dance._

Daniel froze and groaned. 

“Oh come on!” 

_Under any circumstances. This will be your ultimate test. At all costs avoid rhythm, grace, and pleasure. Whatever you do, do not dance._

The music got louder, and Daniel really tried not to dance, but the beat was so tantalizing. He started moving again, unable to contain himself. The tape kept talking, but Daniel wasn’t listening. He just heard the music and felt himself moving along with it, jumping and gyrating around his living room. The tape yelled at him to stop, but it was just too much fun. He couldn’t stop now if he tried. 

Abruptly the music cut off. Daniel slowed to a stop, breathing hard. 

_So how’d you do?_

Daniel didn’t even take the tape out, he was out the door and on his bike. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew he had to do something about this. Why couldn’t he just be like the other guys in town? Why did he have to be…? 

He was going too fast down the hill on his bike and as he turned onto another street at the bottom, a car came up on him quick and swerved out of the way. He swerved too and found himself laid out in the grass next to the road. The driver jumped out of the car and ran over to him, and even in his dazed state Daniel knew this was the person he wanted to see the least in the whole world. 

Johnny Lawrence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for a wedding?

“Jesus Christ, Daniel, are you okay?” 

Johnny held out a hand and helped Daniel up. He pushed him away as soon as he found his feet. 

“You! You did this!” 

“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be coming down the hill.”

“No, I-” Daniel stopped and took a breath, running his hand through his hair. “It’s not actually your fault. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“I know it’s not my fault,” Johnny said with a smirk. “There is a stop sign right there, you know?”

“I don’t mean now, dummy. I meant… this!” He gestured vaguely around him. Johnny gave him a questioning look. “I’m not gay! Or I mean, I _wasn’t_ gay and everything was going so well and then the Oscars and now, now I don’t even know myself anymore.”

“Daniel, nothing about _you_ has changed since the Oscars. You’re still the same person.”

“How would you know?” Daniel snapped. He immediately felt bad, but Johnny just raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m sorry, I just. I’m having a crisis here. Before, it was fine that Amanda and I had been engaged for three years, that I liked poetry and Barbra Streisand and that I rode a bicycle. No one cared. Now it’s all anyone in this goddamn town can think about. Hell, it’s all I can think about.” 

“I know how you feel,” Johnny said, putting a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel pushed him away and turned to sit on a rock a few feet away. 

“You know how I feel? No, no, you couldn’t possibly understand what this is like.” He put his face in his hands. 

“Daniel, I’m gay.” Daniel looked up in shock. He couldn’t have heard that correctly. 

“You’re what?” 

“I’m gay, I came out,” Johnny said like he was talking about the weather. Daniel just kept looking at him with his mouth hanging open. 

“To whom?” 

“Oh,” Johnny laughed, coming to sit next to Daniel on the rock. “To everybody. My folks, my boss, my dog. You know, one day, I just snapped. I just got tired of switching pronouns and remembering to lower my voice, and I couldn’t take lying to the people that I loved.” 

Daniel knew he was looking at the other man like he had just sprouted another head, but he couldn’t help himself. There was no way in hell he could have ever predicted where this conversation had ended up. 

“Does that sound familiar?”

“N-no!” Daniel sputtered. Johnny held up his hands in surrender. 

“Anyway, I just said ‘Mom, Sid, Sparky, I’m gay.’”

“What happened?” Daniel asked, aiming for indifference. 

“Well, my mom cried, for exactly 10 seconds. My boss said ‘who cares?’ and my step-dad said ‘But you’re so tall?’” 

Johnny crowded closer to Daniel while he not-so-subtly tried to scoot further away. Though there wasn’t much space to go. 

“Daniel, _everyone_ surprised me once I let them, once I trusted them.” He leaned back away from Daniel and held both hands up. “You know, sometimes the worst thing that you think could happen turns out to be the best thing.”

Daniel bit his lip, thinking that over. He was glad Johnny’s experience had been a good one, but that wasn’t him. 

“For you,” he said standing and heading back over to his bike. 

“For anyone,” Johnny said, following him. 

“But _I’m_ not _gay!_ ” Daniel insisted, his hand spinning in the air for emphasis. 

“Barbra Streisand’s 8th album?” Johnny asked smuggly. 

“Uh, Color Me Barbra.”

“Stud.” 

“Everyone knows that!” 

“Everyone where?” Johnny said. “The little gay bar on the prarie?” 

Johnny paused, looking thoughtful, and Daniel thought he might have finally convinced him to leave him alone. 

“You know what you need?” Johnny asked. 

“I need a wedding!” 

And then Johnny was pulling him in by the shoulders and planting one right on Daniel’s mouth. Daniel’s whole body went taught, but Johnny kept a firm hold on him. Eventually, Daniel could feel himself loosen up, one leg kicking up behind him and then wrapping around Johnny’s waist. 

Johnny pushed him away and their lips made a popping sound as they separated. Daniel was dazed, he spun in a circle just to try to get his bearings back. Johnny just studied him calmly. Daniel took a step away and then came right back. 

“You kissed me,” he said, breathless. 

“You noticed,” Johnny said, barely concealing a laugh. 

“You- you, this, this is not Los Angeles.”

“What, people don’t kiss in your town?” 

“Not at an intersection!” 

As if on cue, a car horn sounded and Daniel had never been more dismayed to see his mother in his life. She waved excitedly, pulling off the road. 

“Hello, sweetheart!” she called. 

“Ma!” he squeaked. 

“I’ve got the cake!” she said. “Is everything okay?” 

“Oh, oh, yeah this is my friend Johnny.” Johnny waved politely and Lucille smiled brightly at him. “Yeah we uh, just ran into each other here at the intersexual- homosection- intersection! I gotta go.” 

And then he ran. He grabbed his bike and peddled off as fast as he could, leaving Johnny and Lucille behind. 

“Are you that fella from TV?”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s me.” Johnny smiled his award-winning smile and Lucille melted into her seat. 

“Well, if you’re Daniel’s friend I hope you’ll be able to come to the wedding!” 

“Oh,” Johnny said, turning to see Daniel peddling away. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

\---------

The wedding really was beautiful. Lucille had made it known to the both of them as soon as they got engaged that she expected nothing less than perfection. The church was beautifully decorated, filled with nearly everyone in town, including a few of Daniel’s students. Miguel and Hawk were smacking each other with paper fans while Aisha tried to get them to behave. Daniel stood at the altar in his tux, eyes scanning the crowd.

He smiled at his mother, and at Tory who gave him a smile and a thumbs up in return. His eyes caught Johnny standing in the corner with his cameraman. If Daniel had known Johnny was going to record this, he would have rescinded his mother’s invitation. Still, Johnny winked at him and Daniel felt himself stand a little taller. 

The organ music began to play and Daniel took a deep breath. The doors at the back were opened and Amanda stepped inside. She really did look beautiful. And she… deserved so much better than Daniel, who couldn’t give her what she wanted. He felt tears form in his eyes and subtly tried to wipe them away. 

She finally stood up next to him and he tried to smile at her. She smiled back and the officiant started on his speech about love and marriage, or something like that, Daniel wasn’t really listening, he could only hear the blood rushing in his ears. 

“Amanda, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” 

“I do,” she said softly, glancing out at everyone watching. 

“And Daniel, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” 

Daniel’s eyes widened. He turned to look at his mother, who was smiling and wiping away her tears, then his eyes found Johnny’s. Johnny tilted his head gently to one side, and Daniel’s eyes snapped back to Amanda. 

“Daniel?” the officiant prompted. 

“I’m… gay.”

Immediately, Amanda’s smile dropped. Eyes widened and hands covered mouths all around the room. Lucille was quick to be the peacemaker. 

“Everyone, everyone,” she said, standing and facing the crowd. “What Daniel meant to say was, he’s having a wonderful _day!_ ”

“Ma,” Daniel said quietly. She turned to him with pleading eyes, but he just shook his head. She put a hand over her own mouth and sat back down. Daniel turned back to his would-be wife. 

“Amanda…” he started, not really knowing what to say. She let out a sob, and then she was gone, running back down the aisle and into the dressing room, Daniel following close behind. 

He closed the door behind them and reached out to Amanda who turned around and pointed a finger in his face. 

“Sit down!” He immediately sat down on the small couch. 

“Thank God my parents are dead,” she continued, pacing. “This would have killed them!”

She paused and took a breath, trying to calm down.

“Are- are you really… gay?” 

Daniel could only nod. She nodded back, eyes on the ceiling. 

“Was there, I don’t know, _any_ other time you could have told me this?! I’m wearing a wedding dress, which _you picked out!_ I-I highlighted my hair because you said I needed shimmer, I _loved_ you and believed you and pretended not to notice the Streisand thing.” 

He winced, but there wasn’t really much he could say in response to that. 

“I thought you were just creative, I thought you were just smarter than me, more sensitive and more interesting. I- I thought you were the most wonderful man that ever lived. I thought you could change my life and show me the whole world and teach me about art and-and life, and magic. I thought you could make me feel like a beautiful woman instead of the girl nobody wanted.” 

“Oh, Amanda,” he said, standing and reaching out for her. She turned and ran back into the chapel, where all of their guests were still waiting. She paused in the doorway, gone from being sad to being angry. 

“Does _anyone_ know how many times I had to watch Funny Lady?” 

When no one answered she started to storm away, Daniel following behind once again. 

“It was a sequel!” he said. “She was under contract!” 

Amanda’s eyes widened again and Daniel knew that he had said, maybe, the worst possible thing he could have said. 

“ _FUCK_ Barbra Streisand!” she yelled. “And you!” 

Then she hit him. She actually punched him, right in the face, knocking him to the ground. He laid sprawled on the floor while she ran outside, the train of her wedding dress fluttering behind her. 

Johnny helped him stand up and then Daniel was following out the door, Johnny and his cameraman close behind. They got out just in time to see Amanda stuffing herself in the front seat of their “Just Married” car. The cans tied to the back rattled as she drove off, leaving Daniel in the dust. 

“Daniel!” Johnny said, running up to him. “You did it! I’m so proud of you!” 

“What do you mean?!” Daniel yelled, pushing Johnny away from him. “I’ve just ruined my life! Not to mention Amanda, oh god, Amanda. I broke her heart, I- I’m a monster!” 

“Yeah, but Daniel-” 

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” 

“I’m only trying to help you.” 

“Help me? Help me! How is this possibly helping me?” 

“Okay look, I grant you that you could have picked a better time. But you just saved that girl from a lifetime of unhappiness. Not to mention saving yourself. Do you get that?”

Daniel did, but he still wanted to be angry. He looked towards the cameraman and it wasn’t that hard to remember who Johnny Lawrence was. 

“You don’t care about me _or_ Amanda. Or anyone else except for yourself and your ratings. Well, hey, now you’ve got the story of the year! I’ll even give you the title. Daniel LaRusso is a Big, Gay, Sissy, Homo Man! He Just Came Out as His Big Church Wedding! Martha Stewart is Furious!” 

Johnny just shrugged. 

“It’s a little long, but it’s not bad.” 

Daniel’s jaw clenched, and then he was gone. Running. Just like Amanda. He didn’t know where he was going to go, but he had to get out of there. People were starting to come out of the church and he couldn’t see any of them right then. Didn’t want to look his students in the eyes after all that. God, his _students._

Once he was far enough away he sat on a bench and put his head in his hands. Then he started to laugh. Well, it wasn’t very often both the bride _and_ the groom ran out on their wedding.


	5. Chapter 5

“Here’s your coffee, Carmen,” her assistant said, handing her a cup from Starbucks. “E! called, they said they wanted to reschedule your 2:30 interview on Tuesday to 3:30, but I told them they should have thought about that before they scheduled it in the first place. It’s not like you can just drop what you’re doing to adhere to their schedule, you know?”

Carmen nodded, sipping on her coffee and flipping through a script that had just arrived late the night before. Her assistant kept talking, but between the script and the TV still playing, Carmen tuned her out. 

Something on TV caught her attention, and she looked up to see the blond reporter from the Oscars standing in front of the church she had gone to every week as a child. She held up a hand and her assistant looked between her and the TV with curiosity. 

“This is Johnny Lawrence standing in front of the First Methodist Church where Daniel LaRusso has just boldly declared, ‘I don’t’.” 

Carmen’s eyebrows furrowed. Mr. LaRusso was getting married? 

“To the amazement of family and friends, LaRusso, outed by Carmen Diaz at the Oscars last weekend has outed himself at his own wedding. You can imagine the fireworks. LaRusso has been besieged by the media, his job may be in jeopardy, and as for his fiancee, fellow English teacher Amanda Montgomery, well who knows?” 

“Ms. Montgomery?” Carmen whispered to herself. She was beginning to think she’d made a terrible mistake. 

“But the question on everyone’s minds is, where is Carmen Diaz?” 

Her assistant startled back as Carmen sprung up and started throwing clothes in a travel bag. 

“I have to go.” 

“Wait, what?” she asked. “Go where?” 

“Home,” Carmen said, scooping up the items on her bedside table and tossing them in the bag as well. 

“Why?”

“Why?” Carmen repeated, incredulous. She grabbed her keys and hurried towards her car. “Mr. LaRusso is suffering because of me, because of what I said. I have to do something to fix it.” 

“You can’t just leave!” 

Carmen turned on the car and rolled down the window, already backing out of the driveway. 

“Call the airport and get me a ticket on the next flight out.”

\----------

Miguel, Hawk, Tory, and Aisha sat scrunched up on the couch in Aisha’s basement, staring straight ahead. None of them were sure what to say.

“Man,” Hawk said finally. “At his wedding!” 

“Poor Ms. Montgomery,” Aisha said, shaking her head. Miguel rubbed a hand down his face. 

“So I guess Mr. LaRusso’s really like Carmen Diaz said, huh?”

“Uh duh,” Hawk said, smacking him on the arm. Then his eyes widened slightly. “And you like hung out with him. He drove you to that college interview. Didn’t you even stay over somewhere?” 

“B-but nothing happened!” Miguel stuttered. “I don’t even know the guy anymore.” 

“Excuse me!” Tory said, her mouth dropping open. “Don’t know the guy? He only got you into college. Just last week he was your total hero!” 

“That was last week.” 

Tory and Aisha scoffed, making disgusted faces at each other. 

“Guys,” Hawk spoke up. “We had a gay teacher for _four_ years. We have to face that, and move on with our lives.” 

“ _What_ are you talking about?”

“Kids!” Aisha’s mom’s voice came from upstairs. “How was the wedding?” 

They looked between each other, slightly panicked. All of them yelled up at the same time. 

“Fine!”

\----------

“I can understand about Daniel being gay,” Lucille said to the other older women from town, all sitting in a semi-circle in what would have been the dancefloor at the reception hall. “But I will never, for as long as I live, understand how could he not want a wedding?”

“Oh sweetie,” her friend Bernice said. “It’s not your fault. You took care of two boys. You raised ‘em the same, you fed ‘em the same, and you loved ‘em the same. And one of them is gay. And the other one is-”

“Louie.” Lucille finished. 

“Daniel was just being honest, clearing the air. What’s wrong with that? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen if we all spilled the beans?” The other women all shook their heads, unsure. “Okay, I’ll start. The Rice Krispies Treats I made for the reception, are not my recipe.” 

A few gasps echoed around the room. 

“It’s Shannon Hyde’s. After she died, a lie was born.” Bernice took a breath. “These are a dead woman’s treats.” 

“Alright,” Claudia spoke up. “I’m just going to say it. I hated The Bridges of Madison County.” 

“My husband has three testicles!” Mary shouted, like it was something she’d been wanting to get off her chest for years. 

“Bob?” Mary nodded. 

“It’s disgusting.” 

Someone let out a chuckle, and then they were all laughing. Lucille looked around at her friends and all the decorations they had spent so long putting together. It really was beautiful. But if Daniel wouldn’t have been happy with it, she was glad there hadn’t been a wedding. 

She didn’t want him to have any more secrets. She just wanted him to be happy.

\---------

“Hey cuz,” Louie said, watching from the doorway as Daniel lifted his head up from the kitchen table. “So…?”

“So.” 

“Are you still gay?” 

“Yep.” 

Louie nodded, then held out a takeout box. Daniel didn’t make a move to take it, so he set it on the table. 

“Your Ma sent me, she’s worried you’re not eating.” 

“It’s only been a few hours.” Louie shrugged. “What is it?”

“Wedding cake.” 

“She’s diabolical.”

“She’s insane,” Louie agreed. He tapped the back of one of the kitchen chairs a few times. “Well, hey, uh, I’ll see you at graduation tomorrow, right?” 

Daniel put a hand over his mouth, eyes flitting up to look at Louie. He took a deep breath. 

“I got a call after the wedding… or after there was no wedding. They, uh, they fired me.” 

Louie looked like he was about to get angry, but he knew Daniel hated it when he got angry, so he tried to stay calm. 

“You taught those kids,” he said. “If you’re not there, what are they going to think?” 

“I don’t know.”

\---------

“Vodka, straight up,” Amanda said as she hopped up on to the bar stool. It was made more difficult by the train of her wedding dress, but she didn’t care. She just needed a drink. “And some peanuts, lots of ‘em!”

The bartender set down a bowl in front of her and she immediately started cracking them open and shoving them in her mouth. She mumbled to herself as she continued to break up most of the peanuts in the bowl. 

“Don’t care about anything anymore. I just want to eat. I just want to gorge.” 

The bowl was suddenly empty and another was pushed in front of her by a man who had just sat down. 

“Hey thanks,” she said, slightly slurred. “Hey, you’re from TV.” 

“Guilty,” Johnny said, signalling the bartender for a beer. 

“You’re that guy.” She took a shot and held the glass up for more. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’m getting drunk,” Johnny said, taking a sip of his own beer. “I had a very bad day.”

Amanda’s head whipped towards him. 

“Excuse me?” she demanded, gesturing towards herself. 

“You win,” Johnny said easily. 

“I hate men,” Amanda said, taking another shot. Then she started to cry. “I mean, am I so repulsive? That no man would want me?” 

“No!” Johnny said, trying to play damage control. “You’re very attractive.”

“Daniel didn’t think so, Daniel didn’t want me.” 

“Listen to me,” Johnny said, turning on his bar stool. “That is Daniel’s problem, not yours. He should have told you years ago, okay?” 

Amanda took a breath, nodding. She wiped her eyes and then turned back towards Johnny. 

“I love you,” she said. “You’re nice.”

“I’m not nice,” he said, gently pushing her back into her own space. “I’m a hack. I’m show business garbage.” 

“Will you sleep with me?”

Johnny choked on his beer, he pounded on his chest a bit until he could breathe again. 

“What?” 

“Three years!” Amanda said loudly. “Three years of long talks and sunsets, loving support and friendship. This is my wedding night! I’m ready! This is a medical condition!” 

“Look,” Johnny said placatingly, wanting her to calm down. “Thank you, but, uh, I can’t.”

“Why not? Are you married, seeing somebody? I don’t care! You’re a man! I’m a woman!” 

“I’m gay.” 

Amanda’s eyes widened. She sputtered something before leaping off the barstool and marching towards the doors and throwing them open. She stepped out into the gravel parking lot and towards the road. 

“Is _everybody_ gay?!” she called into the night. “Is this the Twilight Zone?!” 

A set of headlights came up over the hill and Amanda ran towards them. 

“Hey! Hey! Will you marry me?” She waved her arms, trying to flag down the car. “I have the dress, the plane tickets! I- I’m packed!” 

The car drove past her without stopping, but Amanda wasn’t deterred. Another car was coming up, so she sat down in the road and held her arms up. 

“Stop, stop! It’s an emergency!” The car stopped in front of her. “I need a heterosexual code red!”

Amanda broke down in more tears when the driver opened their door. 

“Miss, are you okay? Do you need help?” 

“No, I’m beyond help. I’m just a grinch,” she sobbed. 

“Miss… Ms. Montgomery?” 

Amanda looked up and wiped her tears away, squinting in the light of the headlights. 

“Carmen?” 

“What happened to you?” Carmen said, kneeling down next to Amanda in the road. 

“Well, everything! You won the Oscar and you said Daniel was gay and I didn’t belive you and I had no self-esteem. And now I’m a mess and I’m starving!” 

“You’re not a mess,” Carmen said, holding onto Amanda’s shoulders. Amanda gave her a disbelieving look. “Well, okay, maybe you are right now, but, I mean, you’re beautiful. You always were.” 

Amanda sniffed and looked into Carmen’s eyes. 

“Really?”

“You’re just like how I remember you from after school.” 

“You remember?” Carmen smiled and dug back through her memories. 

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?”

“It is the east, and Juliet is the sun,” Amanda finished. They went back and forth reciting until a car coming down the road honked at them, and Carmen suggested they find a better spot before they got to Act 3.

\----------

Daniel sat in his classroom on graduation day, debating whether or not to go. Mr. Cole had made it clear that he wasn’t welcome, but Daniel wanted to support his kids. Would they even want him there? Probably not. He sighed and got up to leave.

Miguel was at his locker, a little ways down from the classroom door. He looked up and there was an awkward moment where neither of them knew what to say. Miguel turned to leave, but he stopped and looked back.

“Good luck next year,” he said. Daniel gave him a small smile.

“You too. UCLA is lucky to have you.” 

Miguel nodded, then ran off, already late for the ceremony. Daniel leaned against his old classroom’s door, and made a decision.


	6. Chapter 6

Miguel sat smooshed between Hawk and Tory in the auditorium while the band played and the teachers walked up on the stage, taking their seats. There was an empty chair off to one side, and Miguel frowned. Mr. LaRusso wasn’t there. But Miguel had seen him just a minute ago, why wasn’t he here with the others? He turned around in his seat to scan the crowd. He saw Mr. LaRusso’s mom and his cousin, his friends, even that reporter who was standing off in the corner next to his cameraman. But no Mr. LaRusso. 

“Hello students and parents of All Valley High,” Mr. Cole said, motioning for the crowd to quiet down. “Before we hand out the diplomas, I have an announcement. I know that this year has been… well let’s just say it’s had its ups and downs. But I thought we could begin this graduation ceremony on a high note. I’d like to present the award for our teacher of the year.” 

A side door at the front of the auditorium opened and heads swivelled towards the noise. Daniel hesitated, before continuing up the steps and sitting in the empty chair on the stage. He nodded at Mr. Cole who frowned at him before turning back to the crowd with a forced smile. 

“Well, our new teacher of the year is,” Mr. Cole said, opening up the small envelope. “Mr. Mike Barnes!” 

“Oh, what a surprise,” Mike said, standing up immediately and taking the small trophy. “Thank you, Tom. Well, where to begin, I-”

“Mr. Barnes?” Mike whipped his head towards the back of the auditorium where the voice had come from. “Mr. Barnes, I guess I’m a recent All Valley graduate.” 

“Oh my god,” Tory yelled, standing. “It’s Carmen Diaz!” 

The crowd erupted. The students were screaming and the adults in the upper level were clamoring towards the balcony to get a better look. 

“People please!” Mr. Cole said into the microphone. “Can we show a little respect to our teacher of the year?” 

Carmen put her hand up, asking for everyone to be quiet and they complied immediately. Everyone sat down, but all eyes were still on her. 

“I’m really sorry to interrupt graduation,” she said. “I was looking for Mr. LaRusso.”

“Uh, Carmen,” Daniel said with a little aborted wave. 

“Hey, Mr. LaRusso, weren’t you up for that teacher of the year thing?”

“No,” Mike interrupted, too close to the microphone. “Withdrawn.” 

“Uh, ineligible,” Mr. Cole added. 

“Oh, why, what happened?”

“Mr. LaRusso resigned,” Tom said, not looking at Daniel. “Sadly.” 

Carmen looked up at where Daniel was still seated on the stage. He looked defeated, sad. Not like the Mr. LaRusso she knew. 

“Is this because of the Oscars and the gay thing?” she asked, turning back to the principal. 

“No, no,” Mr. Cole replied, shaking his head, he was starting to sweat. 

“Well then what is it?”

“We, uh, the community felt that it was a matter of, uhm, influence. It’s… alright to be this way, or-or that way at home, but Mr. LaRusso is- was a teacher.” 

Daniel put his face in his hands. Carmen took a moment to process what Mr. Cole had said. 

“I think I get it. You’re thinking of the students.”

“Yes!” Mr. Cole said, happy to have finally gotten a point in his favor. 

“Right,” Carmen said, nodding. “So what you’re saying is, since Mr. LaRusso’s gay, he’s going to send out some kind of voodoo vibes or, you know, gay microwaves and make everybody else gay?” 

Daniel lifted his head. What was Carmen doing? 

“In a crude way of speaking, yes,” Mr. Cole said, nodding. 

“Well seniors,” Carmen said, facing the sea of blue caps and gowns. “You’ve all had Mr. LaRusso. Is that the way it works?” 

“Kids, you don’t have to answer that,” Mr. Cole said quickly. “This is an inappropriate place to discuss-” 

“Excuse me, I’m gay!” 

The sudden silence was deafening. Everyone was looking around to see who had spoken. 

“Who… Who said that?” Mr. Cole asked. Miguel stood up slowly. Gasps and murmurs followed as Hawk tried to sink further into his chair. 

“Miguel?” Daniel whispered to himself. 

“I had Mr. LaRusso for four years,” Miguel said, standing tall. “He taught me Shakespeare. He was my track coach, and he also helped me get into college. I just realized that what Mr. Cole said was right.” Miguel glanced to the side, making eye contact with Daniel. He gave him a small smile. “It must have rubbed off. I’m gay.” 

“That is exactly our point,” Mike said, still clutching his plastic trophy. “Another young life corrupted. Thank you young man, very brave.” 

“Oh!” Aisha yelled suddenly, standing, running her hands frantically over her chest and sides. “Oh my god!” 

“Young lady?” Mr. Cole said, concerned. 

“It’s happening! I had Mr. LaRusso all throughout high school and… oh my god. I’m gay!” 

“Ex-excuse me?” 

“If there’s something wrong with Mr. LaRusso, or Miguel, then there’s something wrong with me. I’m gay.” 

“So am I!” Tory said, throwing an arm around Aisha’ shoulders. She looked down at Hawk, smacking him on the shoulder. 

“Aw man,” he said, reluctantly standing up as well. “Alright, I’m gay, I’m a homo, I like guys. I still do it with chicks every chance I get and I’m totally good at it!” He caught Mr. LaRusso’s eye, who was looking at him like he was about to cry. “But… I hate it and I’m gay.” 

“Kids,” Mr. Cole said in defeat. “Please sit down. We’re here to graduate. While I’m sure Mr. LaRusso is very gratified by your display, the decision is not yours. It’s a grown-up thing. I have to answer to the community, and as far as the community is concerned, towards Daniel LaRusso they have said ‘no,no,no.’” 

Mr. Cole turned to gather up the first of the diplomas, ready to end this disastrous ceremony, when yet another voice spoke out. 

“Well, I’m a member of the community,” Louie said from his seat off to the side. “And I don’t mind that Daniel’s gay.” 

He held up a fist so Daniel knew he was on his side. Daniel even gave a half-hearted one back. 

“But you’re his cousin,” Mr. Cole said. Louie raised an eyebrow at him. “As- as you know.”

“So…” Louie looked around the auditorium. “You know what that means. Uh-oh. I must be gay.” 

Daniel’s chest tightened. Louie, the kids, they were doing this for him. He still had people in his corner. 

“But you’re not a parent, are you?” 

“Excuse me, I’m a parent.” It was Lucille, she stood up next to Louie and held her chin high. “I’m Daniel’s mother, and I’m very proud of him. And I’m- I’m a lesbian!” 

A woman in the upper level stood. 

“Hi, there! I run the Bridal Barn on 7th. I can tell you that Daniel had perfect taste. So do I, so, I’m gay.”

His stylist, his mailman, the volunteer fire brigade. It was like a storm had been unleashed. Everyone, some people Daniel didn’t even know, were all… coming out for him. Daniel thought about Johnny’s words. How people can surprise you if you let them. Who would have thought the man could be right about anything? 

They locked eyes across the room and Johnny smiled at him. 

“I’m gay,” he said, but it was like he was saying it just to Daniel. Daniel stood before he could lose his nerve. He jogged down the stairs and down the aisle. He clasped hands with Carmen for just a moment; he wanted to thank her, but he had his eyes on something else just then. 

He grabbed a surprised Johnny by the front of his jacket and pulled him in close, kissing him hard on the lips. He didn’t even care that everyone was there, he didn’t even care about the camera a foot from his face. He just wanted to kiss Johnny and never stop.

\----------

“Oh, I’m so glad we found a use for all these wedding decorations!” Lucille said, straightening one of the centerpieces.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get the wedding you wanted, Ma,” Daniel said, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

“Don’t be silly, Daniel,” she said, squeezing his shoulders. “You’re more important than any wedding.” 

She caught him glancing towards Johnny, who was talking to Miguel, and chuckled. 

“And who knows, maybe there’ll be another wedding to look forward to soon.” 

“Ma!” he groaned. She laughed and pushed him away towards Johnny. He stopped to talk to Carmen and Amanda first. They were sitting close, Amanda’s legs over Carmen’s, feeding each other strawberries. 

“What’s all this?” he teased. Amanda stuck her tongue out at him. She had come around quickly after meeting Carmen and she and Daniel were best friends once again. Still, that didn’t mean she’d told him _everything._

“I saw how much fun you’d been having and I said to myself, I’ve got to get in on that.” 

“Oh yeah, so much fun,” Daniel said, rolling his eyes. 

“Hey, it ended up alright,” Carmen said, gesturing towards the rest of the party. “You’ve still got your job _and_ you’ve got a boyfriend. Pretty good, no?”

“Yeah,” Daniel said, catching Johnny’s eyes across the room. “Pretty good.”

He waved goodbye and made his way over. He practically fell into Johnny’s waiting arms and gave him a kiss. 

“Party already taking it out of you?” Johnny asked, not letting go. 

“Yeah,” Daniel said, muffled by Johnny’s chest. “Take me home.” 

“No way, man. Your mom would be pissed if you left your party early.” 

Daniel groaned because he knew Johnny was right. But it wasn’t all bad. He could stand to sway in Johnny’s arms a bit longer. 

“Is your cameraman here?” he asked. 

“No, not today. I’m not filming this. There are some things that are more important than show biz.” 

“Really?” Daniel said, leaning back to look at him. “Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Johnny laughed. “But didn’t that sound good?”


End file.
